2.20 What Is and What Should Never Be
Promotional image for 2.20 | |
Title | What Is and What Sould Never Be |
Episode # | Season 2, Episode 20 |
First aired | May 3, 2007 |
Directed by | Eric Kripke |
Written by | Raelle Tucker |
On IMDB | http://imdb.com/title/tt0987715/ |
Outline | After Dean is attack by a djinn, he wakes up in a world where he is no longer a hunter. |
Monster | |
Timeline | |
Location(s) | Joliet, Illinois; Laurence Kansas. |
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Contents
Synopsis
In an abandoned warehouse, Dean is attacked by a djinn his is hunting. He wakes up next to a beautiful girl, and wanders around an unfamiliar apartment. He calls Sam, who is studying his law books, only to find Sam thinks he is drunk.
Dean discovers he is in Laurence, Kansas and drives to his childhood home to find his mother alive. The past has changed – there was no demon attack, no fire. John died the previous year of a stroke, in his sleep.
The next day Dean revels in suburban life, spending time with his mother and mowing the lawn. Sam and Jessica arrive – they have flown in from California for Mary’s birthday. That night at dinner in a restaurant, Sam and Jess announce their engagement, During the celebrations Dean is distracted when he sees a young woman, who he had glimpsed on the street earlier.
At home, Dean is keen to go out and spend time with his girlfriend, Carmen, and Sam and Jess. Sam confronts Dean over his behavior, - he and Dean are not close, and he doesn’t understand Dean’s friendly demeanor.
Back at his apartment, Dean starts enjoying his life with Carmen. However, later that night he sees a news broadcast that leads him to discover that all the people he remembers saving, are now dead. The ghostly woman appears to him again, and Dean sees images of dead people in his closet. Distraught Dean visits John’s grave, and anguishes over why it is his job to sacrifice things in order to save people.
Dean is caught by Sam as he breaks into Mary’s house to steal a silver knife, pretending that he needs it to pay a gambling debt. Sam insists on accompanying Dean, and they drive to Illinois, to the abandoned warehouse.
There they find the girl Dean has been seeing being held captive by the djinn. She appears to be hallucinating. Dean has flashes of images and he starts to suspect that he too is also being held by the djinn and everything he has experienced is an illusion. Dean decides that if he is in a dream and he kills himself he will wake up. Sam tries to dissuade him, and then Mary, Carmen and Jess appear, imploring him to stay and be happy.
In the real world, Dean wakes up as Sam is rescuing him. The djinn attacks, but Dean kills it. They find the girl Dean kept seeing, weak but still alive.
Back in their motel, Dean is still in pain from the life he glimpsed. Sam tries to convince him that all the people they have saved make their sacrifice worthwhile.
Timeline and Location
The episode starts and ends in the Joliet, Illinois.
Dean's alternate reality occurs in Laurence, Kansas
Characters
Music
- "What a Wonderful World" by The Ramones: played as Dean mows the lawn
- "Mr Saturday Night" by Lynrd Skynrd: played as Dean drives back to Illinois
See the Music page also.
Quotes
Sam: I thought it was supposed to be a fantasy. Dean: It wasn't. If Mom never died, you and me would've never gone hunting and you and me, you know. Sam: Yeah. Well, I'm glad we did.
Pad of Definitions
None as of 3 May 2007.
Additional definitions provided by fans
Trivia
- In the alternate reality, Dean wears a gold chain with a pendant rather than his amulet.
- At the beginning of the episode, Dean asks Sam if he has "ditched the plates" referring to the Imapla's license plates (a necessity as they know the FBI are tracking them after the events of 2.19 Folsom Prison Blues. During the episode we see the usual plates KAZ 2Y5 have been replaced in the real world with CNK 80Q3 and in Dean's fantasy with RMD 5H2
- When Dean wakes up in the alternate reality and calls Sam, their is part of a saved text message visible to Sam on his phone which reads: Hey Dude…How are you doing man?I’m pretty darn good myself.I;ve been meaning to sit down and write but I’ve been so damn busy. I’ve been meaning to call too but hey what’s a fella to
References
- The episode title What Is and What Should Never Be references the Led Zeppelin song "What Is and What Should Never Be" from the 1969 album Led Zeppelin II